Josefina Niggli
Josefina Maria Niggli | |
---|---|
Born | Josephine Niggli July 13, 1910 Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico |
Died | December 17, 1983 Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States | (aged 73)
Occupation |
|
Language | English |
Nationality | Mexican, American |
Citizenship | US |
Education | Master's degree |
Alma mater | Incarnate Word College; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill |
Genre | drama, novels |
Subject | Mexican history and culture |
Notable works | Mexican Village |
Josefina Niggli (1910–1983; birth name was Josephine) was a
Biography
Niggli was born on July 13, 1910, in
Niggli was hired during World War II by NBC International to write Spanish language messages for Latin American radio.[8] Niggli became active as a writer and producer for San Antonio's KTSA radio station and studied play writing at the San Antonio Little Theatre (now known as the Public Theater of San Antonio),[9] eventually joining the Carolina Playmakers at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned her M.A. During this time, she continued to write about Mexican folklore[3] and history, such as her play Soldadera, which depicted women soldiers (soldaderas) in the Mexican Revolution, particularly the tradition of La Adelita.[3] After a brief stint on the faculty at UNC Chapel Hill, she moved to Mexico to work for playwright Rodolfo Usigli at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. In 1938, she published a collection of her plays, Mexican Folk Plays, with a preface by Usigli.[6] Usigli, like Niggli, wanted to portray the history and challenges of a modern Mexico and was supportive of her success in America.[7]
In 1945, Niggli published her first novel-in-stories, Mexican Village, about a Mexican-born American (like Niggli, but male) who must confront problems with both American and Mexican cultures when he returns to Mexico.
When Mexican Village was picked up by Hollywood to be made into a movie (Sombrero, starring
During the early part of the 1950s Niggli began to work at
Niggli died on 17 December 1983 in Cullowhee, North Carolina. After her death Niggli's work was for the most part forgotten until the 1990s when literary scholars began to reevaluate her work and Chicana/o writers began to acknowledge her as a trailblazer of the Chicana/o literature movement.[14]
In 2005, Western Carolina University named the Niggli Studio Theater in her honor, in the university's newly opened John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center.[15] She is thought to be the only Mexican-American woman to have a theatre named after her.[4]
Bibliography
Novels
- Mexican Village
- Step Down, Elder Brother
- A Miracle for Mexico
Plays
- Cry of Hidalgo
- Soldadera
- The Ring of General Macias
- The Red Velvet Goat
- Sunday Costs Five Pesos
- Singing Valley
- The Fair God
- The Cry of Dolores
- Azteca
- This Is Villa
- Tooth or Shave
- Sorella
- Yes, Nellie
- Grapes Are Sometimes Sweet
- The Defeat of Grandfather Devil
- The Street of The Canon
Poetry
- Mexican Silhouettes
Collections
- Mexican Village and Other Works (2007: Mexican Village; Step Down, Elder Brother; and five plays)
See also
References
- ^ a b Fuentes, Yvette. Review Archived 2010-06-19 at the Wayback Machine of Elizabeth Coonrod Martínez, Josefina Niggli, Mexican-American Writer: A Critical Biography in Quadrivium: A Journal of Multidisciplinary Scholarship vol.2, accessed 17 July 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Josefina Niggli" at PBS.org, accessed 17 July 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Josefina Niggli: Novelist, playwright and the reconquestadora who made Ricardo Montalban dance", 2 December 2007, accessed 17 July 2010.
- ^ a b William E. Orchard, Yolanda Padilla, "Introduction" to The Plays of Josefina Niggli: Recovered Landmarks of Latino Literature, University of Wisconsin Press, 2007, pp.3–4.
- ^ Joseph Henry Dvorkin, "Josephina Niggli" at Voices from the Gaps, University of Minnesota, accessed 17 July 2010
- ^ a b c d e f "Josefina María Niggli" at The Handbook of Texas Online, accessed 17 July 2010.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-393-97532-1.
- ^ Coonrod Martinez, Elizabeth (November–December 2007). "Josefina Niggli: Daughter of the Mexican Revolution". Américas (English Edition): 46–53 – via Ebsco.
- ^ "The Public Theater of San Antonio". saarts.com. Archived from the original on 2021-09-17. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
The Playhouse was founded as the San Antonio Little Theater in 1912 as part of the growing Little Theatre movement sweeping the nation.
- ^ "Student Portrait Commission" Archived 2012-08-05 at archive.today announcement for the WCU Josefina Niggli Celebration (2009), accessed 17 July 2010
- ^ "Josefina Niggli" Archived 2012-12-13 at archive.today at Western Carolina University, accessed 17 July 2010.
- ^ "Arts & Entertainment Venues" Archived 2010-05-28 at the Wayback Machine at Western Carolina University, accessed 17 July 2010.
- ^ "Josefina Niggli: A Celebration of Culture, Art, and Life" Announcement page Archived 2012-08-05 at archive.today, accessed 17 July 2010.
- S2CID 165641315– via Ebsco.
- ^ "About the Bardo Arts Center". Western Carolina University. Archived from the original on 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
Sources
- Coonrod Martínez, Elizabeth. Josefina Niggli, Mexican-American Writer: A Critical Biography. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2007.